Five minutes after Twilight
by hellokittykisses
Summary: There was complete silence. I heard not the sound of my predator, nor my screams as I hit the glass and watched the terrified girl in the mirror shatter to a thousand pieces. What happens when Edward gets a taste of Bella's blood? Written after Twilight
1. The little too dramatic short intro

What if Edward couldn't get rid of the venom? Taking place around the end of Twilight (after James tried to kill her) Sorry if that spoiled something for someone

Disclaimer- no poseo nada.

There was complete silence. I heard not the sound of my predator, nor my screams as I hit the glass and watched a terrified girl in the mirror shatter to a thousand pieces as a dark figure closed in on her. My cowardice soul that I had naively followed in hopes of saving my mother abandoned my body and left it to face being eaten to death alone. I retreated into my mind, and let darkness encompass myself to wait patiently for sweet end.

I tried to face the unknown with the only real information I was exposed to on how to go about dying properly—Rest In Peace. Admittedly, It was cliché and unoriginal, but nevertheless I spent my last efforts attempting to calm myself into resignation and acceptance. Slipping deeper and deeper away from forks and its memories, almost gone and forgotten...and then shaking. This wasn't just a shiver either; it was an earth rumbling, tectonic plate splitting eruption. I was pulled and dragged and jolted out of my comfort as painful senses snaked their way back into my conciousness—rusty iron blood burned my tastebuds, faint urgent cries filled my ears, but most prominent was the smells. Cutting and winding throughout the stench of blood, (Mine perhaps?) was something else. I couldn't quite place it, just that it brought back the feeling of pure temptation and lust, maybe even love? Was I in love? Or was that just the sweet scent of heaven and I truly made it past death. I felt prodding along my face, someone lifting my reluctant eyelids to reveal the world I had so desperately tried to forget moments before, and then him. Definitely not heaven, this was better.

All of Forks, the hunt, and unfortunately the pain, came rushing back along with those penetrating drops of butterscotch I knew as his eyes. He was saying something, no, he was shouting. What a peculiar experience it was, to be transported back into the mayhem and chaos fully aware and realize that you can't move or speak anything. All I could do was try and communicate my conciousness with my eyes, hopefully he would notice the spark of recognition in them.

He did. Of course he would, he's Edward, and Edward can do anything.

He motioned and Carlisle's face loomed over mine. Understanding lit his expression and adjusted my head. Pop- my eardrums exploded with sound as Edwards voice finally reached my ears—still shouting as loud as a vampire can from half a foot away.

Ok. So, that was short, but I actually have a plot for this one, so maybe I'll finish it when junior year stops trying to kill me. Reviews would be cool, reviews in Spanish would be cooler.


	2. Classic Transformation scene

Incomprehensible bellows with undertones of growling drowned out all other noises, leaving room for a massive headache. If it weren't for the volume control problem, Edward could be the poster child of indigestion for Pepto-Bismol. My plea for him to calm down came out as a pathetic moan. I thought it was lost under the sound, but fortunately, Carlisle's super-senses took over, and silenced Edward immediately.

Someone shifted my head for closer examination of the back my skull, and my view changed. I was on my back, with my arm spread out from my side, and I could assess the damage. Mostly it looked like one big swelling, like Popeye after his can of spinach but a little less of the steroid image. Along my forearm were scratches and cuts, some with bits of shine reflecting off them where the glass that was in it was exposed.

If it weren't for the tingle, I almost wouldn't have noticed it. But as I lay there, feeling the weight of all my injuries, I began to have an itch. It started as just a flutter of irritation on my wrist, but soon enough grew feel like a thousands fire ants all biting at my hand, before spontaneously combusting into flame on my skin. But there was nothing there. No glass let alone broken bone, until I saw a crescent moon of marks, oozing blood.

I watched in paralyzed fascination as my skin paled and turned a bluish hue around the infection. It spread alarmingly quickly, along with the itch. Underneath my fear was a small smug voice, cautioning me not to draw attention to it. I was becoming a vampire if Edward wanted it or not. The pain wasn't even as bad as I thought it would be. The fact that I could control myself from crying out showed that either I had suddenly grown an immense pain threshold, or some of my nerve endings were gone: most likely the latter. As the burning itch swallowed my hand up, I tried to turn my wrist, just to turn the bite face down. The slightest movement, and knives and needles shot up through my blood in my arm. Nothing could hold back my scream; the pain causing my arm to spasm, and the movement from the spasm causing more pain. It just went in an endless circle—always creeping up my body to spread across my chest. I couldn't take it, I just wanted to cut off my arm, or black out, or die, anything to stop the pain.

"EDWARD! MY ARM IS ON FIRE"

"What?" His worried tone wasn't enough; he didn't know what was going on. My tongue swelled up to a blimp and my speech was lost. A million tiny insects were scraping up my throat and I couldn't open it to let them out.

Instinctively I grabbed on to Carlisle's face and brought it down to my arm. Panicked understanding lit up his face, and he knew. He knew it was too late, and that now there was no turning back. Edward's eyes followed Carlisle's gaze and he saw it too, and I blacked out.

(O.K. here is a perspective shift, so right now Bella's passed out and you're reading in 3rd person omnipotent, just in case there was any confusion)

"NO! WE CAN STILL DO SOMETHING." Edward screamed

Carlisle responded, "There isn't anything. I have no equipment, by the time I get it, it'll have entered her bloodstream—it may have already. I'm sorry"

Edward wasn't taking sorry. "No, you're not thinking enough. You've been a doctor for over 300 years, there is SOMETHING we can do. What did you do before your 'equipment'?"

That sparked an idea. Carlisle spoke calmly, and patiently; he had already resigned Bella's fate in his head but if he didn't take action Edward was going to break something—the last thing this place needed was more inexplicable damage.

"Ok, Edward, I think you may be able to suck the blood out. If you can control yourself that is."

He didn't even stop to think about it. He bent down and touched his mouth to the wound. At first he was contained, with a determination in his eyes as they rapidly faded from midnight to sunrise. But then something happened. They didn't settle at the usual toffee, but kept changing, growing to mahogany, to roses, to a sickly red, the same tone as the rims of his tear stained eyes. He grew rougher and more earnest, a trickle of blood running down the side of his mouth completely ignored, as he changed from a kneel into his instinctive crouch—a position reserved for real feeding.

"Edward, that's enough! Rein back, CONTAIN YOURSELF!" Carlisle's shouts were unheeded, and it became clear to him that immediate action was necessary.

"Alice." He barked, but she was already rushing in, and helping him pull Edward off Bella. Together, they wrestled him to the ground and pinned his limbs down with their bodies. He started thrashing wildly about, hissing and spitting his warning, spraying blood everywhere from his mouth.

(Ok first person again)

I came back to Earth with a welcoming wave of pain. I was no longer paralyzed, but the others were nowhere in sight, and my hearing was out again. A speck of blood fell from the sky onto my face, and I looked to the right to see the scariest thing I have ever experienced. There was Edward in a struggle with Carlisle and Alice, holding him down. From over their shoulder's he clawed to get to me, and I locked in with his cough syrup eyes. There was no recognition in them, just blind encompassing hunger.

Dun dun dunnn, obviously we know what's coming for Bella, but what about Edward? Writing this out has put a twist in my original story, the plot may need some adjusting. Reviews por favor. Chinese fortune cookie parody: Learn Spanish- Chicharrones- pork rinds. Numeros suertes (lucky numbers) – 4, 12, 87, -6.


	3. Moose time

"Alice," Carlisle instructed, "I need you to go find Emmett, we need to get everyone out of here fast. When the police show up I don't want them seeing a cannibal and a girl having seizures on the floor." She gave a quick nod and disappeared. I watched all this from my corner in the room, as far away from Edward as my body could lurch—my limbs were currently incapacitated on account of being practically on fire from the inside out.

Long minutes later, Emmett's frame graced the doorway, and he surveyed the scene. Carlisle barked some quick orders, and Emmett went over and looked like he was about to embrace Edward. Instead he put him in a full body lock, and with the help of Alice, half dragged, half hugged out the door into the sunlight.

I was lifted by Carlisle up and he walked out into the street. No one was around, and he made a dash for my mother's apartment. Carlisle's running was no better than Edwards, especially when my head was hanging limp upside-down. I threw up all over him. He said nothing, just put me down on the couch and put a cool cloth on my face. I was already drenched in sweat, and everything was sticky. I looked up and saw Alice, returned from wherever she was, and slipped into sleep.

I was running. It had to be a dream; I hadn't tripped yet. Even in my sleep it still hurt, but now my steps, if they were steps or just inventions of my imagination, kept me in a steady rhythm. Every now and then I would fade back into consciousness to hear snippets of conversation, or soothing words of comfort.

"You're going to be ok, halfway there now," a voice said. I was too dazed to figure out who it was, too weary to care.

"He just left, left all his stuff and took off. No I can't, he isn't followng any direction of the mind, I think he's wandering around somewhere. Yes I called Tanya, they haven't seen him up in Denali. Don't worry, Esme, he'll return soon enough. No real harm was done after all, I think…" Still running. Finally I stopped at a clearing. There was, standing serenely, a moose. I krept towards it instinctively, not understanding why. I put my hand out to pet it, as I would a dog, but found myself instead watering at the mouth and shaking with anticipation. I was disgusted with myself, but couldn't prevent going closer to sniff it. It was frozen in fear. I raised a long hand like a claw and…jolted awake.

I came within inches of trying to eat something that probably rolls in its own poop. I decided to try and stay awake for as long as possible from then on. Actually, now that I was awake, there weren't so many sharp stings, just a dull ache all throughout myself. And I could lift my hand, and my leg, and maybe…yes! I was standing, able to lift myself from the couch. Hell, I could lift the couch too! I looked around and for the first time in my life, if this was considered life, truly saw.

Yes, short, lo siento, but project runway awaits me on tivo. R&R POR FAVOR, and does anyone know how to make a profile?


	4. Chinese food and graceful landings

It was the feeling that everything in the room had shifted slightly to the left. Something was different about my sight, but I couldn't identify it. Maybe it was the new intense color everything had taken on, or the details finally revealed to me. I could feel the wood grain beneath me, taste salty sweet sweat in the air, smell rotting garbage from the kitchen in the next room. Actually, I was pretty sure that anyone could that. The last person in here was Renee, weeks ago. Of course she would forget to take out the trash, and turn off lights, and get the laundry out of the dryer before she left. I sauntered into the kitchen to our familiar economy sized bin we used as a trash can. Renee and I were both naturally lazy creatures, and had reasoned that a bigger bin means less taking out the trash into the street. Of course we didn't take into account how heavy that trash would then be. I gathered all my strength and put my hands on the sides of the bag and jerked up as hard as I could.

Trash went flying, napkins and other odds and ends scattered but were nothing compared to the amount of take out Chinese food soaring through the air. Renee doesn't cook, Phil shouldn't cook, so without me there, she had resorted back to Mrs. Lee's Triple Happiness restaurant. I landed, gracefully I might add, and surveyed the mess. Grease and msg filled my lungs and there was a clump of noodle sticking to the ceiling. Then Alice walked in. The noodles fell.

"Sooo…" She mused, "I take it when we tell everyone your fist act as a vampire, we're leaving this out. Correct?"

I nodded in agreement and embarrassment. She circled me and looked me up and down, nodding with approval, but stopped to frown at my face.

"Did something go wrong? Is it bad?"

"No, that's not it. Are you embarrassed by any chance?"

"Well, of course. You're checking me out, for one. I fell for James' stupid trap, ruined everythingyou all haveand I'mprettysurethere'sapotstickerinmyhairr." My words ran together towards the end as I realized the weight of what I had caused and felt a rush of emotion, and to my extreme mortification, tears started to well up in my eyes. I looked up at Alice to try and gouge her reaction. She looked like a Chihuahua. Her eyes bulged, mouth hanging open, looking uncommonly bewildered, something people who can see the future don't tend feel.

"You can cry too? What are you?"

Yes I know short but kind of in a hurry, and gracias for reviewing if you have, if you haven't go for it, and thanks WingedSpirit for the help with the profile! Wow, doesn't it sound so geeky to use someone's username as a real name. Ok, from now on, if anyone has to address me, I'm Mel.


	5. PineSol woman vs Bella and Alice combo

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! And I was gonna try and do the update everyday, until yea, the weekend came and I DO have a life as I am sure you do too. So here it is. Oh wow, I realized I forgot to do disclaimers so this goes for all of them

Super3inonespecialpackage disclaimer: Crepúsculo no es mío, poque si lo mío, casaría con Edward (¿O Eduardo?)

Methodical cleaning can actually be therapeutic. On the counter was an array of different unknown brands of cleaner, the cheap kind, the only kind Renee and I had ever been willing to buy. They had found their own shelf, way high up in the back of a closet and had sat there for too many years. Until Alice arrived.

"This place is a dump. And it reeks of you." She added in a mock disgusted tone. "Actually, you reek of you! We're adding that to the list." She scribbled it down onto the piece of paper we had.

We had come up with a list of strange things, certain unnatural properties that I seemed to possess. So far we had scrawled down, blushing, tears, and now added underneath, interesting odor. I wasn't sure if this was maybe what Carlisle had said was going to be my 'super quality' or just temporary details that the venom had yet to poison. I had to admit that if it was the farmer, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for something like lighting speed, amazing grace, but super crying?

We sat on the marble kitchen counter surveying our fine work. Human me would've taken hours to scrub out the grease stains from everything, but the new and improved Bella could do it all in fifteen minutes. Me versus Pinesol woman: I'd kick her ass. Everything was spick and shiny, I wasn't used to seeing our house this clean. It was as if we scrubbed away the Renee from the place. The only lingering aroma was that of fresh Windeks. (The cheap, crappy version of Windex) Not even a vampire, including Victoria, would ever be able to trace my human scent or Renee's now. Speaking of the others…

"Alice," I inquired, "When is Edward and the rest of the family going to get back? I can't wait to see his reaction!" I could already feel a familiar ache in my stomach from his absence.

"You missed a spot," she said, pointing to the far wedge in between two cabinets.

"Alice," I intoned not to be distracted, "Where are they?"

"Well…"

-3 days earlier-

"Just a small town girlllll, living in a lonely world. Took a midnight train, to a ny whereeee."

"Just a city boyyy, living in souuuth Detroit, took a midnight train to A NY WHERE" I surpressed another shudder. The nauseating cheesey lust Emmett and Rosalie had for eachother was practically eeking out of their pores, and I couldn't ignore it. Their singing along with Journey wasn't helping either. I glanced over at Edward to see if he was in as much pain as I was. He had his head pressed against the window, staring out up at the Canadian countryside. His brooding was just a faint waft compared to the unblockable combination of Emmett and Rose's road trip high.

We were on our way to Denali. Esme and Carlisle already there, making the proper arrangements for Edward. His eyes still hadn't lost that red glow, although he stopped struggling to get out of the car somewhere in Oregon. I recalled Carlisle's worried brow, all while reassuring me that he just needed some time up north, some clean air to cleanse his mind, his palatte, his soul. I glanced suspiciously back at Edward to see if he heard what Carlisle said about souls in my mind. He didn't. Usually, he was always so touchy on the subject, and any mention of it, aloud or not, he would get all huffy and pissed, which of course I would have to feel too. But it looked like he was really tuning all of us out, only God knows how though, Emmett and Rose only got louder as the guitar came in.

"Hey guys," I said weakly, " you wanna just take it do—"

"DON'T STOP, BELIEVIIINN', DON'T STOP BELIEVIINNNN'" bellowed Emmett, with Rosalie taking the melody

"STREET LIGHTS, PEOOOPLE AAAOOOOOHH" and ended with a final squeal that she calls singing and slammed the gas pedal, 130, 140, 150 mph. I sighed, missing Alice and her constant dose of optimistic energy. I had a stray distant wonder of Alice, and how she was doing with Bella.

This set Edward off, he tackled me and scratched a claw against Rose's car, ruining the back leather interior.

"Hey! Stop!" Her wails were ignored, and Emmett had to break us up for the hundreth time, and sit between us in the back. If it weren't for the intense vibes in the air that riddled my brain, it would be an almost comical sight. Edward and I, with Emmett struggling to fit inside the confines of the bitch seat.

"And that's where they are." Alice finished lamely.

My mouth just hung open. Edward needed help? And they were in Alaska? Everyone once again had to move just to accommodate me. I looked down with shame. Alice thought I was going to cry again.

"No! It's totally under control, Bella. Seriously, this happens sometimes to everyone. Edward's gonna be fine, going to Denali is just like a spa day for us." I laughed at this, the image Edward getting a mud bath and cucumbers just didn't work in my mind.

My visible better mood seemed to envigorate Alice. She jumped up excitedly, puling me with her

"OMIGOD, I just had a brilliant idea! Since The boys and Rosalie are going to vacation for a little while, shouldn't we do something to enjoy ourselves? We should shouldn't we! I mean it's the only fair thing to do." She said in a self-righteous patriotic tone.

I noted her lack of specification on just how long they planned to be away, but didn't want to ruin Alice's bubbly mood. "Well, what do you propose we do?"

"O come on Bella, seriously sometimes your so blind. Don't tell me you haven't noticed certain, differences in your physical appearance…"

"Um, well, I guess there are some changes but noth—" 

"ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU HAVE A RACK!" She blasted to my humiliation. "Come on! Now we have to go get some clothes to show you off! I mean, you might not be like totally Rosalie-shape, but hey, there is definitely something to be proud of in those. And I almost never get the chance to shop in a city this big" She added sneakily at the end, knowing I couldn't turn her down now. Before I knew it we were on the way to the mall.

Next: The notorious shopping scene that everyone seems to have incorporated into their stories, and not wanting to be left out, I will too.


	6. Red Pumps and 'sophisticated' women

Gracias por los repasas. Y no, Jess, Spanish isn't my first language, I just wanted to try and keep the review multi-lingual, for no real reason. But thanks! You added to the cultural diversity. How about now we go for reviews in German? Or any other language really would be interesting.

Disclaimer: I don't own the fabelhaft welt (fabulous world) of Stephanie Meyer, I just admire it from afar.

We went from shop to shop, Alice tirelessly marching me through fragrances, makeup, shoes, and clothes. She knew no limits, buying everything that caught her eye for any reason, from sleek black boots to some cutoff top made of blue sequins. I wasn't really sure if it was a shirt or some sort of stripper costume, but was too afraid to ask lest she buy me a matching one too. There was no question of cash, I never really knew how much Carlisle made working at a small town hospital, but knew that he had quite a long time to build up his nest egg. I started contemplating getting a job. Living with the Cullens was one thing, but sucking their savings dry like some sort of parasite was just awkward. Alice shoved me in the arm, hard.

"O GOD, I NEED those, I just need those." She pressed her face up against a storefront window, as if she was trying to just fall through to the other side where the most ostentatious red stilettos were claiming the spotlight.

We entered the hideously expensive looking store. There were three colors: Black, white, and red. All the people working there looked like they had a stick shoved up their ass. They had these pained expressions like they had been wearing those tight clothes and heels for just a little too long, but would never admit it. How sophisticated. Alice was not to be intimidated by these haughty women. She bounded up to the nearest one to ask for her size. She whipped them on and threw the box to the side, where I picked it up.

$660. "Uhh, Alice," I meekly said, feeling small next to her huge personality.

"Aren't they just the best! They totally match that bra we got for you up at Victoria's Secret, oh Bella can I please please borrow that bra, I'm planning a special surprise for Jasper when he gets back, and I swear I won't let anything happen to it, or anything happen while I'm in it for that matter, if that sort of thing weirds you out…" I neither knew nor wanted to find out why she needed her shoes to match her underwear, and just shoved the price tag under nose, cutting her off.

She took one glance at it and waved it away, "Oh Bella, just remember, money is meaningless, joy is priceless, all those clichés and such…and remember this cared is platinum" and waved around her American Express card, proceeding to buy the shoes.

We were at the checkout line, with just the box and the shoes on her feet—she had refused to take them off, never mind they didn't match. The store clerk was surprised to see such a gutsy girl in this store full of bland bored rich people. We paid and just when we were about to leave, Alice's phone went off. NSYNC's Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays rang throughout the store, sounding even more juvenile in this place, but she sang along anyways, serenading a nearby customer who was fiercely trying to ignore her.

"Hello Jasper," She started, "Yes, she's with me, everything's fine, were just having an early celebration, you know…" She went off on what she was buying all while walking away from me. Something about the way she was talking, so much surface chitchat for someone who was her husband. She lowered her voice, but forgot that my hearing had improved.

"Did you find him yet? Well, he can't of left northern Canada, he's not a complete idiot…" I froze, "…yes, she's with me here but she can't hear m—" She was cut off by Jasper, surely reminding her that I could hear much better now. She turned to me with another uncharictaristic mask of shock on her face. "How could I forget?" She breathed, starting towards me.

"It's o.k. Alice," I lied, not wanting to hear anymore lies of false comfort, that everything was ok, "Just tell me what happened."

She didn't. Instead she ran full force into me, wrapping me in a bear hug and tackling me to the ground. She threw me over her shoulder and ran out of there, all in those ridiculous heels.

"This really isn't necessary, Alice, I'm not going to hurt you!" I screamed as she leapt gracefully out of the main street into a side alley, carrying me like a sack of meat.

"Me? Who's worried about me? You could kill someone any minute, as soon as your thirst becomes too much! Shit, Bella, why didn't you tell me when you needed to hunt?" And picked up her speed, gracefully clearing a fence as we ran into the forest alongside the highway.

"Alice..." I said, "Pleas stop…I'm not thirsty at all I swear."

She did stop, way too suddenly. I was jerked forward. I prepared to feel the wrath of whiplash and nausea, but it didn't come. Oh yea, I thought, vampire.

"Alice, I really have no cravings. I just feel, I don't know, not hungry, but not bloated. I guess satisfied is right."

"What? You're lying." She accused, afraid I was trying to trick her.

"No I'm not, if I were do you think I would've lasted all those hours in Phoenix?"

"Do you swear?"

"I swear on your new red pumps." Which are now not so red, I thought to myself as I looked down at her muddy feet.

"Fine," she sighed, "Ugh, I am such an idiot. Seriously, who forgets about the first major rule with newborns? Carlisle must have reminded me a million times before he left. We are definitely adding this little oddity to the list."

"That reminds me," I said, taking what I hoped was a formidable and intimidating stance, "I want to know what's going on—what's _really_ going on."

She looked uncomfortable, "Well, I guess, the cats out of the bag for that one too. You might want to sit down for this one." I immediately fell to the forest floor and waited.

TWO in one day! Yes, this whole fanfiction thing is turning into a great way to procrastinate. And yea, I did just realize that there aren't any forests around the Phoenix area, soo, I guess you can just use your imagination and pretend there are. After all, if you can pretend there are vampires, this is just a minor detail by comparison. Oh yea, music wise- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is by Nsync, and from the chapter before, Emmett and Rosalie were singing Don't Stop Believin by Journey. Both are classics in their own way.


	7. over the cliff

Hey guys, I'm reposting this b/c I forgot to add a couple things, like a disclaimer, which I think might have some importance. And wings, don't worry, I'm not clichéd enough to make a faultless character, they'll come out on their own.

Disclaimer: I don't own Edward, Bella, or anything in here, I just wish I did…especially those red stilettos. Seriously, those would be so kick ass.

-three days earlier (again)-

Emmett retreated back to the front seat with Rosalie again and resumed his intoning show tunes to a slow solemn funeral march. My head pressed up against the window, I was the picture of aimless spacing, as Jasper assumed. Perfect. His thoughts of course couldn't be further from the truth. I was really keeping close tabs on all three of their minds. Rose and Emmett were barely worth listening to-- their thoughts had faded from concern to lust hours ago, as I was sure Jasper felt too. Jasper himself, on the other hand, was proving much too diligent with his attentions than I wanted. If he wasn't scrutinizing every minute gesture I made, he was analyzing every slight change in emotion. I had to be in complete control. Carefully lowering my angst to a low brood, I waited until he drifted off into thoughts of Alice again. Now, all I needed was the mountains to come. Emmett may have been stronger and faster on open ground, but I was nimble, and in rough terrain, the quicker.

I saw the familiar hills approach us, not quite rocky enough for my taste, but was a sure sign that we were reaching the big cliffs soon. Uncontrollable anticipation of the hunt ran through my veins for a split second, and jerked Jasper back to Earth. He shot me a suspicious glance, but I was already in check again. He didn't stray from watching me after that. I would have to create a distraction.

The hills were growing from soft mounds to lumpy brown piles, getting taller and steeper with every mile deeper into the Canadian landscape. First sharp turn, second, coming up to the third where we faced a ditch before the road veered off to the right, 3, 2 1. I jumped up and flew over to the front seat where Rosalie was, and shifted the car into park and pulled the clutch, locking the car wheels. We crashed over the safety rail down to the ditch below. Midair in the confusion, I shattered the sunroof glass and shot up out of there. I didn't particularly worry about the others. It took more than a car crash over the edge of a sheer cliff to kill them. And, any compassion I had for them was overshadowed by my hunger. I was on the loose and free now, but on the run.

About an hour later, I stopped to reassess my position. I knew I was running west, trying to get lost in the backcountry before doubling back and going down the coast. Out here in the wild, I was acutely aware that I needed to eat _something,_ and threw out my senses. I detected a moose about half a mile down by a stream. Not quite the predator I was hoping for, but they had pretty fierce antlers right? I blanched, as I realized where that uncharacteristic thought came from. Her. I doubled my speed and didn't pause for a second as I took down the beast by its throat.

As I finished off my feed, I straightened out and stretched. The blood didn't quench my paralyzing long lost thirst but it did help me think a little straighter. I needed to get back to Phoenix. All the others knew this. They were already tracking me, I had wasted valuable time wandering out in the woods. But I couldn't keep a straight decision lest Alice have one of her untimely visions. I looked and used the sun to find south, and took off. Alternating directions, splitting my time between heading for Chicago and Seattle.

"And so," Alice ended, "after the crash we sort of lost track of him. And nothing's really come up about where he's headed so far, so I think we can safely assume he's bopping around somewhere in northern Canada."

I was speechless. Somehow it sounded strangely familiar, but that thought was pushed aside by more important questions. Edward? Canada? What kind of animals did they have there, and more pressing, was he even after animals, or something a little more satisfying. I suppressed a shudder.

Ok, so done for now, R&R. Comments, questions, pointing out plot holes—It's all good.


	8. Steak, steak, and Doritos

Ok, really sorry I forgot to update, thanks for the reviews and keeping up with the story!

Disclaimer: ich besitze nicht Dämmerung.

Alice and I returned home in silence. I was still processing the information, unable to believe Edward—endearing, controlled, logical Edward, could be running rampart and wild in the forest somewhere. What if he were hurt? What once seemed like a distant negligible snatch of conversation came back to me. Edward's warning; there were worse things out in the forest than him. The promise of unknown beasts awaiting in that darkness that he considered worse than the bloodsucking undead left my imagination running wild. Ideas of other vampires, super vampires, super bears, all played the star role as a villain in a horrifying end of my beloved. A heavy sigh found it's way up my lungs; it forced me to realize that I simply could not live with Edward missing like this. I needed to find him. The only problem was convincing Alice. She had tried to keep Edward's escape from me, and I didn't think she really wanted to go adventuring after him with me in a tow. Actually, I thought, I wouldn't really be such a burden now. After all, I was one of them, I could hold my own. I didn't even have a thirst for anything, human or animal! I might even be of a help, Edward may disregard his siblings help, but he could never turn me away.

I had a goal, sound logic, and now all I needed was the attitude. I would not be persuaded out of this, I was going to find Edward with Alice's approval or not. "Alice," I faltered, staring at my shoes, "I think that it's my responsibility, my RIGHT to go out and get Edward back." No response. I plowed on. "I got everyone in this mess, and I will never be able to live with myself, or you all for that matter, if I'm not the one to set things straight." I risked a glance up. She wasn't even paying attention! "Alice!" I said with more force than I intended.

"What?" She had a distant glaze about her.

"Did you hear a word of what I just said?"

"Oh," she snapped out of her reverie. "Right, well thing is Bella, we don't need to find Edward. Edwards finding us."

"Huh?"

"He'll be here around…I don't know when I saw the vision it was sometime in the night. It was a new moon, so I'm guessing sometime around tomorrow night?"

Her casual tone is what set me off. "WHAT? When did you see this? Why are you keeping things from me? I'm sick of you still treating me like some weak child who needs to be watched and protected! Here I am preparing to cross continents to find him and you've known he was coming all along!" My fists were clentched tight, and I had a strong need to break something.

"Woah, Bella…calm down. I just had it 2 minutes ago. You know, you look a little pale." She added.. Was this some sort of bad joke to lighten the tension? Obviously she wasn't taking me seriously. I served her down with a flat stare. "No, no, I don't mean like that. I mean you look sick, even for a vampire. It's like I'm looking into a doll's face, with big black buttons sewn on as eyes. We never let ours get that dark."

I snapped back, "Well you also have an uncontrollable nasty thirst for human blood." It was a hit below the belt, I knew, but for some reason didn't care. I didn't want to admit it but I was feeling a little worn, but I figured that since it was only my first real day with this new strength I was bound to feel some of the effects.

Alice didn't seem in the mood to fight. Instead, she gazed coolly down at me, and simply said, "You're not the only one who's been affected by Edward's absense. He is my brother, and he took my husband away with him. I think we should just be alone for a while until we can calm down." And left, making me look a fool, and feel more frustrated than ever.

Alice took where Renee used to sleep while I stomped into my room. I flounced onto my bed and tried to calm myself down to no avail. I settled on pacing the length of the floor, as I could hear Alice do the same in the next room over. As I walked, I looked about at my room. It was a time capsule of my childhood. The walls were still an obnoxious orange that I had insisted on having when I was 5. My interior decorating skills consisted of trying to make my room match the desert around it, determined to have something different, something unique from the usual purple and white trim room that girls had. It matched the Phoenix sunrise, and had a mural of cacti and other desert vegetation on the wall across from my bed. It wouldn't have been so bad if Renee hadn't added her last minute touch, a goofy smile with sunglasses on each of the cacti. Around ten I figured out how strange it was to have these odd little cartoons watch me sleep each night, and covered half the wall with bookcases, filled with different novels and porcelein dolls Charlie used to send me for my birthday. I examined each one closely, innocence painted onto their faces, always the same vacant happy expression. Their eyes were shiny and reflective; I could see my face in them. Were mine really like that?

I went to a mirror and dissected my face. Sure enough, where my pupils and iris should have been was a jet black lacquer. The kind of darkness that swallows things up, the kind where you wave your hand an inch away from your face and can't see it. It didn't look right. It reminded me too much of the dolls, as if I was as empty as them on the inside. I felt empty. Maybe I should eat something, I thought to myself. I trotted into the kitchen to experiment. Was people food the right way to go? I got out some Doritos, smelled the spices and artificial cheese on them, my mouth watered. Guess so, I thought, and stuffed a couple in my mouth.

Bile rose in my throat, the sticky mess was a mixture of too salty, too bitter, too everything, all the too-strong flavors mixing and melting together to form a disgusting taste in my mouth that made me gag. I spit it out into the garbage. I guess that wasn't the right choice. But then what was I supposed to eat?

I looked in the freezer. There were two steaks, freezer-burned and forgotten. I picked one up, rock hard, and bit in. The juices, part blood, part marinade ozzed into my hungry mouth, tasting almost just as bad as the Doritos, but I managed to choke this one down. I took another bite, and then another.

I finished the second steak more quickly than the first, not stopping to observe the different flavors effects on my palate. I tried to ignore them completely actually, but I couldn't block out the taste of coppery blood and the unsettling feeling I got chewing the raw fat. "Alice," I called. "I think I know what's wrong."

Dun dun dun, cliffhanger, kind of. More later, R&R please.


	9. Moose time returns

Hey guys! Wow, sorry it's been a little while, I was on vacation, then I forgot, and then I took a bit of a break for finals but so anyways, back on track now and the plot is about to become crossbred with some of Scott Westerfeld's books. It's kind of interesting if you've read it, but it doesn't really matter if you didn't.

Disclaimer: Everything is Stephanie Meyer, now featuring Scott Westerfeld!

I finished puking in the bathroom and took a deep, collecting, breath. The satisfying rush of oxygen flow that I had once taken for granted was missing, but the cold air still felt good against my saturated, juice stained mouth.

"So…" Alice began, not really having anything to say but testing to make sure I was done talking and hurling. I had been ranting on and on for what felt like ages, just letting all of my ideas and theories spill out, all the while hunched over our old toilet spewing out what was still mostly a steak. What I had come up with at the end of my epiphany was this; I definitely had the symptoms of a vampire, or 'vampirism' as I had started calling it, but the actual full blown thing was missing. (Here's where the other book comes in) Like disease. A group of people are infected, but only 90 have the disease. The other 10 would be called carriers, having the symptoms, but being immune to the sickness itself. My brain was still working like a human, it was just my body that was a vampire. Now this may seem all fine and cool in theory, but my aching back from standing over the toilet was not. I couldn't keep the food down. The sickening squish of the fat combined with that metallic tang of blood and meat made me gag, sending Bessie back upriver, all covered in stomach acid. The deathly stench of it all was so strong it kept me going all while attempting to explain everything to Alice.

"Now what?" She asked. I wasn't really sure. My stomach rumbled, the beast inside demanding more blood, but my head craved for real food. The full weight of my starvation sank in on me. All other thoughts were stamped down except for one. Bread, bread, bread, bread. The thought that it was so easy to just go into the kitchen and grab some made it too irresistible. Despite what I had learned from the Dorito incident, I dashed away. I scarfed down a whole loaf ignoring the taste, my head thinking that it was good for me—until it came back up, no prettier than it's predecessors. I couldn't stop though. It just became a weird cycle. Swallowing it down only to hurl it up a minute later.

Why Alice hadn't acted sooner could only have been from shock of my bizarre actions, but now she sprang up and pinned me to the wall. I shook and fought against her, but she was the stronger.

Alice set her jaw and said, "Ok, Bella, I don't know about your disease theory of whatever but this is definitely not good for you. All I know is that you were bit, and your one of us. That means you need blood. We're going hunting." She tossed me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, mmm potatoes, and took off towards the forest, me bumping along with her. I made a mental note to get potatoes.

By the time we got into the forest, I had my wits about me again, and my food craving back under control, although my temper was still touchy. Alice sensed my tension.

"Well," she started to lighten the mood, "I'm not sure if there's a delicate way to put this so I'm just going to come right out and ask, what do you want to kill first?" This surprised me. As illogical as it seemed, I hadn't really focused on the actual killing during my fantasies of this new life. I had been distracted in my thoughts with Edward, letting my immaturities control my dreams, thinking only of what was to become just ANOTHER new activity we could spend all day together doing. She set me down gently in the forest and I perched on a mossy boulder. I mentally photoshopped my head onto a lion and tried to picture myself taking out an antelope or armadillo or whatever they had in this state. To be honest I couldn't really picture myself taking down an animal. Actually that was a lie.

"Alice, are there by any chance some moose around here?" I mused, remembering my hallucination during my transformation. (during chapter three)

"Um..well, that's quite a pick, I'm not really sure if—"

"No, it's ok, I was just thinking aloud. How about something easy, like a goose."

She scrunched up her nose, "Things that fly are…difficult… and I don't do rodents. So much work in the chase, not enough prize at the end. Why don't we just do some roaming?"

"Uh, sure, roam away."

"O.k. well, first, you need to get on all fours and just move around some, see?" She demonstrated. It was not as easy as it sounded. When Alice crawled, she changed in a way. Her body was feline, her eyes feral. Every limb moved with a swift grace as she slinked between the pine trees, not even rustling the dead needles that carpeted the forest floor. My mimick of her was less successful

"No, here, a little less jerky in your movements, try and turn your bounce into something smoother, something more predatory. Give in to your instinct, let impulse take control." I tried, I tried connecting with my inner beast, I tried thinking like a tiger. It didn't work. I could creep easily enough on two legs, and was relatively silent, but it was nothing in comparison to Alice. To a passerby she was part of the forest. She swayed in the wind, and the air around her was a still as a rock, completely blended with her surroundings, even in motion. Only her face could give her away. Her eyes darted around with heightened awareness; nothing went unchecked by her eyes. Why couldn't I do that? What was wrong with me? Alice seemed to be getting into her own world, really starting to move around, I found it difficult to keep up with her. Just tracking her was hard enough, she kept leaping from rock to tree to branch back to another rock, I broke into a run just to keep her retreating figure in my line of sight.

"Alice!" I called out, not wanting to lose her, not wanting to be lost. She stopped and stared not at me, not at the trees or the birds or at the sky, but at nothing. It was the look she had when she had her visions. It lasted seconds, but when she snapped out of it, it looked as if she had been gone for years. She stared to my direct right, fixated on a certain grouping of trees, thick with deep green needles. An animal maybe? I thought wildly. But what came crashing through the brush in a wild frenzy moments later was no animal.

It was Edward.

Ok, yea, sorry for the long break this time, but I'll try not to let it go for that long without writing anything again. R&R please!


	10. Back again

Hey guys! O.k, I was thinking of going over all of these chapters so far and editing them for a few things, maybe make the beginning sound less emo and depressing but not really changing any plot specific details. Any suggestions on what to change? But yea, so a lot happens in this chapter, and if it gets confusing don't worry, it's supposed to for suspense and drama and all that good stuff, so it'll be answered in a later chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own any of these characters. Go emancipation.

He recognized me, there was no mistaking that. His eyes ran up and down my form hungrily, drinking in my body. He had a feverish air about him and I felt that if I made toward him or even a gesture of recognition he could dash off any moment, and leave me with only my memories again. He sniffed the air slightly and went statue still. That's when I crumbled. I remembered every curve, muscle and shape of him in a marble statue. I took a step foreward, and he pounced.

Someone inside my brain was shouting that's NOT a hug he's going for! but she was pushed back and shut in a cupboard while the naïve part of me took over and waited for him to lift me into his arms. I just began to breathe in his familiar scent when I was hurtled to the side. I had forgotten that Alice was there. The fall knocked some sense into me, and I remembered that this was not the Edward I knew, this was the negative of him. Everything Edward was--gentle, controlled, caring, this creature was not. I drew back impulsively in fear, forgetting that I was not the same person he knew either, becoming the old, weak Bella in his eyes. He tried to pull Alice away to get at me, but she wasn't giving up easily. Pretty soon they were locked in battle, tearing at eachother's throats emitting noises I had never thought could belong in this world.

Alice broke free briefly, "BELLA!" She gasped, "RUN—just run!" before locking Edward down from around his legs. He may have been stronger than her, but she was fighting smarter—she knew his weak points, and was using them to her advantage. I watched in paralyzed horror until one particularly ferocious roar sent me running.

Five minutes later, away from the screaming I slowed down, and turned around. Oh great, now I've left Alice alone to fend for herself against that…that, I didn't know what to call him, but he wasn't Edward. I was a traitor, worse than a traitor, an unreliable child, running away at the first sign of danger. I had to go back. But, which way did I come from? I started down one direction, then quickly changed after I didn't recognize any familiar smells. I wandered in circles farther and farther away from my actual path, until I had no idea where I had come from. Should I call out to Alice? I thought. But what if that distracts her and…I had it pictured in my mind perfectly, her lifting her head up from battle to answer me and then BAM, right in the throat.

The silence was unnerving and I was scared shitless. Shafts of light streamed down in the forest in a random pattern formed by the canopy. I kept nervously looking around, sniffing around, twitching at any sign of movement. Finally, I caught a whiff of something familiar, but strange. Like when Renee used to try and make me macaroni and cheese as a kid, but last minute added some odd spice to try and be creative like garlic or anchovies. It was the pungant odor of something I once loved now corrupted. I looked in the direction it was wafting from. My sensitive eyes could see the shafts of light being reflected of something. There were gleams as it was refracted off of his diamond dusted skin in the distance. I couldn't see him though, just the sparkling light. I felt as if in a fairy tale, waiting for some pixie in a forest to grant me a wish. Closer, and closer the glittering light came in a steady prowl, and I became very conscious of my human aroma as seconds ticked by and I didn't move. I couldn't move. As sick as it was, I couldn't bring myself to leave him, even if it was only his shell, it was more than I had seen of Edward in days. So this is what it's like, I thought, the classic movie scene with the bride patiently awaiting her death, paralyzed by love and those addictive pharimones to leave. I knew I wouldn't fight him when he came, I knew I wouldn't do anything. He was stronger, and obviously more determined if he managed to come all this way, abandon his family, friends just to see me. Of course he had assured me many times that he would leave his friends, his family, his whole world for me but I didn't think this situation is what he had in mind. I remembered him saying how he was no good for me, and I'd end up dead. Well, at least now he'll be right. It was a bitter joke, but I laughed out loud anyway. He suddenly stopped obviously aware that I saw him. The shape sharply veered off to the right and skittered into the shadows. My laughter died in the back of my throat—now I was really scared shitless.

"You—" A voice croaked behind me.

I didn't even have time to turn around before he jumped me. He bit down, hard, and I couldn't help screaming as he held my thrashing body to him and tried to suck my blood, only to discover there was nothing there. I felt his confusion, his pains, his mania as he held me. I was jerked forward and got a fistful of hair in my mouth, and smelled it's sweet fragrance suddenly I felt I was being torn apart from the inside out, not from him but that sickeningly sweet aroma that I knew was just how I smelled but It still boggled my insides and I had the urge to bite something, someone, but who? Myself? The thought was dizzying and the attraction uncontrollable, and I felt myself fall to the ground and saw Edward holding his hands in his head like I wanted to do and back away. This calmed me down some and the temptation was swept away as quickly as it had hit me, leaving only a dull ache in the back of my head. I closed my eyes to make it go away… _There was complete silence. I heard not the sound of my predator, nor my screams as I hit the glass and watched a terrified girl in the mirror shatter to a thousand pieces as a dark figure closed in on her._ I opened my eyes, the dark figure was Edward, and he wasn't silent anymore, he was shaking with dry sobs.

"You—" he said again, only this time it wasn't menacing, just laden down with emotions and feelings that I would come to understand later, but for now just confused me.

I took a wary step closer, cautious, but I wanted to go and console him, like I used to all the while ago. He seemed so innocent as he sat there in a crumpled ball, like a child, and I had to go to him.

"STOP." I did.

"Just stay there." I did that too. He looked up at me, his eyes still red with hunger, but not blind anymore. He looked at me and actually saw me and slowly stood up. "You're one of us."

She was beautiful. She was gorgeous before, but now, there was something else to it, a certain maturity to her looks that had seemed so young before. And she wasn't leaving. An unwanted thought pushed into my head, the beast inside trying to get control again. I could kill her now, and end that infuriating maddening fragrance forever. If I couldn't have her then I could kill her. Or I could leave. I shook my head to empty it of such notions. This was Bella, my Bella. If she wasn't leaving, then neither was I.


	11. hmmm

This was Bella, my Bella

This was Bella, my Bella. If she wasn't leaving, then neither was I.

Looking back here, this doesn't seem like such a fitting ending now, but I can't figure out what should be happening here. Any suggestions?


End file.
